France will be the first country to ban all plastic cups and dishes in 2020. A new law passed last month to ensure all dishware to be biodegradable and made with bio-sourced materials. Ireland can easily copy France since it was a trailblazer in introducing plastic bag levy in 2002.

“They are really enthusiastic young people interested in the environment, in the issues that we addressed like climate change and they are really highly skills, so we benefit from their skills”, said Aedin McLoughlin, director of Good Energies Alliance Ireland (GEAI) about the European Volunteer Service (EVS).

“Even Irish sunlight can be used to kill bacteria in water in glass or plastic bottles”, says Prof Kevin McGuigan, associate professor in the Department of Physiology and Medical Physics and director of the Solar Disinfection Group at the Royal College of Surgeons.

While Irish households are making efforts to save money by reducing their energy consumption, food waste is not a priority yet. However, in Ireland, over one million tonnes of food are wasted every year, namely around 80 kg per person. A recent survey commissioned by Sainsbury’s shows that only 3% of UK householders are concerned by wasting food.